


there's pieces of you lying around

by duality_of_toad



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Gen, Gift Fic, Hunting, Not really sure what else to tag this, pre-canon of their fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:09:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27799009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/duality_of_toad/pseuds/duality_of_toad
Summary: Link's fascination with Gods started with a fire, or so he thinks. But the truth is, he was interested far before even that....No his fascination did not begin in the scorching heat of a tragic night, but on the cold cusp of new beginnings.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11





	there's pieces of you lying around

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sleepyzeldy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepyzeldy/gifts).



> An upcoming AU from thatsnotzelda about the champions being gods. It's amazing and I hope they post it soon so I can gush about it ;u;
> 
> I hope I did your AU justice :D
> 
> Thank you again to Quote for betaing <3

The cold winter air bit at what little of Link’s skin was exposed to the elements. The young child’s eyes and face burned; snow getting stuck in his eyelashes as he trudged through the white woods. It was hard to grasp his bow with the feeling of frostbite making its way through his bones. Link wanted to go home; but he knew his father, the Great Ika of the Royal Guard, would not allow for any respite until he completed his first proper hunting lesson. He had just turned twelve a mere fortnight ago, yet he was already training so that he may one day achieve his father’s combat prowess. Hunting was only the first step. 

“We will be there soon, Link. We must first stop at the Hunter’s Statue before the hunt can properly begin.” Ika said, smirking as he met the boy’s expectant gaze. Snow made quite the palette on the man’s face; his patchy, greying blonde beard contrasting with his bright red cheeks. Somehow, the grizzled man was able to warm Link’s heart with only a smile. Link pulled down his scarf to smile back at him, before once again hiding his face against the winds. 

Up ahead, covered in piles of snow, was an odd wooden statue. It was huge, towering over Link’s small frame, radiating authority and power. It was a bird, standing on two bipedal legs with one large wing spread out while the other held an arrow over its chest. It stood proud in the center of the clearing, looking worn and battered by the elements. 

“Help me with this, son,” Ika beckoned. He began to brush the snow off the statue, and Link rushed closer to help. The effort was somewhat pointless, as the boy could not reach past the statue’s waist. Still wanting to help his father, he cleared the snow off of what he could only assume were the statue’s talons, revealing a small offering stand. It was apparent that the stand had been hidden deep in the snow for quite some time, with engravings of what looked like the language of Rito etched into it. Ika looked down to his son, patting his back softly. 

“Do you know what that says, Link?” His father asked. Link shook his head. Ika continued, “It means ‘pray to Him and He shall assure you a plentiful hunt.’ The Rito favor this God, treating him as their ‘patron’...but of course, we Hylians are not biased like that.” He joked, letting out a soft chuckle under his breath. Link did not understand the joke, yet he smiled as his father’s hearty laughed. “Prepare the offering, son. It may help us with our hunt.” 

Link stumbled to his knees as he picked through his obnoxiously huge hunting bag. He brought out that morning’s catch, the large hearty salmon, and left it in the bowl. He frowned, disappointed to leave such a nice catch to this unknown deity, but he was not about to argue over such things with his father. 

“Perfect. Now, we pray.” Ika fell to his knees next to him, holding his gloved hands together. Link mimicked his movements, though he kept one eye open, carefully watching his father. 

“O Great Vah Medoh...may we have a successful hunt this evening, so we may once again provide for our family. As for my son...may he prove himself as a worthy hunter and fighter tonight as well, for this will be the first of many lessons to come.” Ika opened his eyes for a second, and winked at Link, “May the Goddess smile upon you, and on us.” 

Ika stood slowly, helping Link up as he shivered. He looked to the statue once again, closing his eyes and silently hoping to prove himself to his father tonight. Ika walked ahead, and Link ran after him, tripping and stumbling through the thick snow. They walked until they heard a soft  _ crunch  _ from deeper within the woods. Ika held his hand up, stopping Link in his tracks. He crouched, and the powdery snow crunched beneath him. Link awkwardly copied his father’s movements, and nearly fell into the man as he did. Fortunately, it somehow was not loud enough to startle what they had been hoping to find. 

It was a deer. The large buck stood between the trees, digging into the snow in search of any leftover grass buried in it. Link opened his mouth in awe. A quiet gasp left his lips, filling the air around him with a small fog of breath. Ika looked back at him and smiled, readying his bow. 

“Do you remember how to shoot a bow?” He whispered. Link squinted before nodding, untangling his bow from his coat to ready it. He reached for an arrow and nocked it, fumbling a bit as he did. He watched the buck in the corner of his eye, nervously trying to set up his weapon before he scared it away. His father leaned down, holding his small hands as he helped Link adjust his stance. He nodded, holding the bow up to aim.  _ Where should he shoot? _

He panicked. He let the arrow fly before he had a proper grip, and it made a thudding sound as it landed in the deer’s side. The buck barked and snorted in pain, then bolted into the woods. 

“Now, son! Chase after it!” Ika cried. Link nodded as he took after the buck. It was not hard to lose sight of his hunt, as he could easily make out the red trail of blood in the pale snow. He could hear the buck not far in front of him, continuing to snort and bark as it crashed through the woods and snapping every branch it came across. Link did not care if he made the whole forest aware of his hunt; as long as Link was the first to appear, the deer would be his. He picked up the pace, noticing the blood droplets growing in size, creating tiny scarlet ponds that all lead to the same place. He stopped. The deer was lying on its side, blood pooling from its wounded body. He was about to approach it, but he froze. 

Link watched as what looked like a hawk came down and landed on the deer’s carcass. He was ready to shout, to shoo the hawk away from  _ his  _ kill, but...its form melted away. In its place was a large bird, almost the spitting image of the statue Link had previously prayed at. He watched, leaning forward to get a closer look at this...person? His father had called the statue that bore the same form as his bird a god? Was he in the presence of a  _ god _ ? 

The seemingly divine being stood there. His face was frozen in a scowl as he stared down at the buck. Its breathing was slowing, harsh wheezes escaped its snout as it struggled. Link felt his chest tightened as he watched the creature finally take its last breath under the watchful eye of the bird. Then, it lowered itself to one knee. Its soft navy blue feathers grazed over the eyes of the deer, closing them slowly. 

“You have served your purpose. May you be at peace as you pass onto the next life, young one.” The god whispered to the buck, closing its eyes as it spoke. Link was in awe. Was the god praying for his deer? What did it all mean? 

Link leaned forward, and a branch underneath him snapped. The bird’s head twisted in his direction, yet he was too hidden in the bush to be noticed. The bird narrowed its eyes as if it could see through not only the bush, but Link as well, peering deep into his soul with its vigilant eyes. Link could do nothing but hold his breath and watch as the bird stared at him intensely. It kept its gaze on Link for what felt like an eternity until...it sighed. Its wings spread as golden light swallowed it, and the hawk once again stood in its place, before taking off into the cloudy winter sky. Link ran out into the clearing to watch as the bird flew away. It screeched; its cry echoing through the woods for miles. Link smiled, then whistled to let his father know of their successful hunt. 

****

The house was warm that night. Link’s mother cooked the buck just right, filling the family with delicious food for the night. What they did not eat was stored away, kept cold until the next day. The buck was huge, able to feed the small family of four for another night or two. Link’s stomach growled at the thought of eating more of that deer, but he knew he should not be greedy. 

It was late. The moon was high in the sky as Link paced through the snow-covered Castle Town. His family had long since fallen asleep, but he had unfinished business with this so-called god he had met. His father had gifted him one of the buck’s large antlers, but now upon close inspection, it really had been a younger species of deer. The antlers had patches of peach fuzz in various places, but most of it was exposed bone. The deer, he realized, was still growing; just like him. In a cruel twist of fate, Link’s story would continue, and the other young soul would fulfill its purpose by helping him grow. It left an odd feeling in his stomach, but he shook it off as he walked; and he almost ran headfirst into the statue of his destination. 

Link knew the statue in the woods had looked familiar. It had been years since he had visited, yet it stood as powerful as ever. It was not as worn down as the wooden one in the woods, and Link noted that the stone kept its shape much better. It was much cleaner as well, even with heavy layers of snow hiding swathes of its figure. 

In reverence, Link fell to one knee before the statue. Unlike the statue in the woods, there was no bowl for offerings. Instead, the young boy placed the antler at the feet of the statues, mimicking how his father had prayed in the woods. He clasped his hands together, closing his eyes as he spoke. 

“O great Vah Medoh...thank you for the successful hunt.” He whispered, stuttering a bit over the god’s name. It was odd, but it sounded Rito, just as the engravings had been. He opened his eyes, glancing up at the antler he had placed. However, it was no longer sitting before him. He shot up to his feet, darting around wondering if someone had snuck up on him and taken it. Upon further inspection, Link deduced that he was alone. He sighed and rubbed his eyes, making certain he had not imagined it. Finally, he glanced up and found the hawk from the woods sitting perched on the statue’s shoulder; antler in its beak. 

Link could not stop the smile creeping onto his face. He waved at the hawk, hoping it recognized him. However, it only screeched and took off into the night sky. The young boy’s smile grew wider. He ran home, his mind equally racing with thoughts and questions. As he lay down to sleep that night, he could dream only of the gods of Hyrule. 

He vowed to one day know everything about them. 


End file.
